Sunshine Week: New and traditional ways to approach your elected officials

Sunday

Mar 11, 2018 at 9:10 AM

Timothy P. Murray

“All politics is local.” This famous quote by Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill, the former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives and proud son of Massachusetts, is used so often that it often seems cliché. But its frequent usage underscores the profound truth that drives decisions made by those in government, whether it be at city or town hall, the statehouse or the United States Capitol, and even the White House. In this regard it is critical that citizens feel empowered, and in fact encouraged, to communicate with their elected and appointed officials utilizing both traditional and new, innovative means of communication.

The advent of social media has impacted every sector of society with both positive and negative consequences. The internet and the explosive expansion of the use of handheld devices and tablets have facilitated new means of communication and commerce. People now email and text much more frequently, reducing the utilization of landline telephones at home or work. This technology has lowered the cost of entry into sectors of the economy and created new, disruptive businesses such as Lyft, Uber, Airbnb and Venmo, a mobile payment service. Unfortunately, we have also seen some of these methods of communication and expression, such as Facebook and Twitter, used for nefarious purposes. Russian operatives, with support from the highest levels of the Russian government, have sought to undermine democratic governance in the 2016 presidential election as well as in multiple European elections.

While it is my hope that the U.S. government will deal forcefully with these menacing Russian interventions, I am still a believer that these new avenues of communications can have a positive effect in encouraging citizen engagement in our participatory democracy. I believe this based on examples during my time as a former elected official at both the municipal and state levels.

Issues impacting people and families in the neighborhoods where they live and work - the politics that is local - should set the agenda for those in government. It is critical that people living and working in neighborhoods communicate to government officials about the issues they see impacting them and their community - in effect serving as eyes and ears on behalf of good government. For example, even the hardest-working district city councilor cannot be aware of every street in her district that needs a pothole filled after a tough winter like the one we’re experiencing. This is where a picture from a cellphone taken by a neighborhood resident and texted with the street name and address to the district councilor can assist local government in filling the pothole in a timely and efficient manner.

I have seen how neighborhood residents have used Facebook to create or support neighborhood crime watches and improvement efforts. This constructive feedback and conversation often helps guide local, state and federal elected officials on where and how to use resources. Resources that can help solve a problem or create a new amenity or opportunity that strengthens a neighborhood.

A tweet, email or Facebook post can now communicate this information in real time. However, traditional outreach to government leaders via a letter, or phone call can continue to make a real difference as well. There is no better example of this than the 10-year effort to eradicate the presence of the Asian long-horned beetle in central Massachusetts.

Leaders in government were alerted to this by a phone call from a concerned resident in Worcester’s Greendale neighborhood who noticed that a beetle in her backyard tree looked like the Asian long-horned beetle. This phone call prompted a massive response by local and state governments and from Washington as well. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent to eradicate the beetle and reforest the neighborhoods impacted through active involvement of residents, as well as local, state and federal officials.

To bring positive change to your neighborhood, make your voice heard. Please know that your input on issues that some might dismiss are usually listened to and can help make a difference. It could be resurfacing a street currently full of potholes. It could help guide the state on where to build a new school or playground. It could lead to a police foot beat or the establishment of a rail trail. Change can sometimes be slow, but constructive and sustained communication with our elected and appointed officials through both new and traditional means of communication has and will continue to make a difference at the local level. In my experience I've found that most people are respectful and professional in these interactions with officials, even if in disagreement. It goes a long way not just in expeditiously resolving matters at hand, but in establishing relationships for the future.

Responsible elected officials at the local, state and federal levels welcome and want that type of engagement and communication. It’s local and, yes, it’s to some extent political. But it works, and helps make our cities and towns work better.

Timothy P. Murray, of Worcester, a former lieutenant governor of Massachusetts and prior to that the mayor of Worcester, is president and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce.

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